Charlie Ferrar - volunteer at Kais Village Community 2009/2010

A day of living and working at Kais Village community is a whirlwind of choices and actions. Kais Village has given me some of the best and worst times of my life with the good always outweighing the bad and no matter how hard it might get, I know that there will always be 60 beautiful smiling faces ready to comfort and love me for the rest of my life. A year of my life here means nothing compared to what I am able to give the children, a future and the whole of their lives to look forward to. Kais Village Community is so much more than an orphanage, it is a family. Each child loves one another as siblings and they welcomed me into their family with open arms and open hearts.

All long term volunteers that walk through these gates have one thing in common, they have a dream to make a difference in a sad world but enter into one of the happiest places on earth where the children are kind, warm, loving and never fail to appreciate the smallest things they may receive; be it some fresh fruit, a new teacher or even just a hug. We come with one view of the world and leave with another and for that we leave better people and for that I am eternally grateful.

The bond made with these children is powerful and when illness strikes I have tried to do everything to make it better however it is not always possible here and I have learned the hard way- that death is not always avoidable. I have now witnessed more loss than I should have at 18, however, right around the corner there is always a joyous occasion to help get over the hurt, maybe a new child is joining the community, maybe someone is leaving and being welcomed into a new home, whatever it is, I can guarantee it will make it worthwhile staying.

The babies are blissfully unaware of their situation and receive as much love and attention from the nannies and volunteers as possible, they cannot get all the luxuries of a western child and many have diseases or special needs. Something as simple as bathing, changing or playing with the babies, letting them know they are loved is a great part of being here. Giving them the love they deserve is an important part of living at Kais Village and it is always a wonderfully happy day, as it is for any mother, seeing a baby roll over, or crawl, walk, talk, smile, even eat properly for the first time.

The nannies work so hard and we have become very close, western standards are very hard to keep in an orphanage but they try their best with bleach and cleaning materials and try very hard with their English which is great fun for all of us. If there is music blaring from the village we all dance the day away, making jokes and talking sometimes for hours on end. They are all incredibly sweet and caring women some of whom have been with Kais Village for years and tell stories of previous volunteers.

 Food is very important to every Cambodian, so for the nannies, each meal time I care for every child in the nursery so they may all have a 15 minute break together which is always precious time as there is never a moment’s peace inside the nursery. For this time they are always very thankful and I have found that it is the least I can do for them.

When I am not teaching or engulfed in another project I like to liaise with any visitors that come to Kais Village because the children all thoroughly enjoy meeting people and they always want to welcome them with big hearts graciously into their home. It is also great from a personal side meeting visitors that come; it puts you back in touch, ever so briefly, with the outside world. However when I do escape for a few days to Phnom Penh I have been lucky enough to do such things as be a bridesmaid at a Cambodian wedding or meet other volunteers from different parts of the world.

Work and responsibility here has varied for me as it has for others and as well as teaching between 2 and 5 hours a day of lessons with toddlers through to 20 year olds-I happily do any other job that comes my way. I have been put in control of the store cupboard, handing our supplies, clothing, and toiletries as well as managing all donations that come into Kais Village. Also inventorying the medical room as well as helping the doctor and nurse with medications and making sure that sick children get to hospital. I have also been closely involved in writing sponsorship profiles for the children in the hopes that we may get them all sponsored very soon thus making it possible to continue caring for them.

All of the day to day tasks the kids like to help me with, especially growing herbs and vegetables in the garden to improve their diet and learning about what they are doing. They are eager to learn in any and every way and I am more than glad to teach them anything they want to know. My mornings are dedicated to the nursery and chores around the site whereas my afternoons are for teaching and learning.

I teach a wide spectrum of subjects including art & craft that some of the children have taken a shine to, so once a month we work on an artistic project to try and inspire other children and visitors. Trying to be inventive in a place with limited resources really forces one to use initiative so we have made such things as hanging mobiles for the nursery, Christmas cards that we can sell to raise money for Kais Village along with many other great projects that the children so thoroughly enjoyed doing. Not only is my job to educate but I am also here to make sure the children have plenty of fun, which makes organising events such as the Christmas party an absolute joy to do.

A sense of pride always envelops me when a child understands what has been taught that day and when they start using what they have learnt in everyday life, in conversations, in tasks and chores; the pride is overwhelming. Their enthusiasm to learn is heart-warming and makes every lesson a delight to teach despite the language barriers that I have now learnt to overcome.

Living without the luxuries of the western world first seemed like an impossible task but now it feels as if I could almost do without them. Giving up things such as a washing machine, a fridge, internet, air conditioning and hot water seems a small price to pay for the wonders of the Cambodian life style and the home that I have here.

In the evenings the children are so exhausted from the day of school and games that we sit and read or swing in the hammock and sing until we fall asleep. I have been given a name by the older children; they said that now that I am Cambodian, I need a Cambodian name. They settled on ‘Pri kai’ which means ‘star’ they explained that they chose the name because I am their ‘star bright’ which they then agreed meant ‘shining star’.

Currently I am in the midst of my 8th month with these children but I am soon to make a change and go to a province called Kampot where a HIV/AIDS outreach centre is about to open to children supported by Society for Orphan Support. A few weeks there to help get it up and running and give the children some basic schooling, as well as trying to advertise the centres need for help to the public and educate the local community about children suffering from HIV/Aids, then my time in Cambodia will be coming to an end.

It is indescribable how much I will miss these children; for a year of living, eating, playing and thriving together is not easily left behind and I dread to think of the day that I have to leave them and start my own life because for the last year, they have been it.

There have been days that I have wanted to give up but these days are very few and seldom come but most days you want to laugh with joy and happiness and these are the days I will remember and why I will always continue to support Kais Village and will continue to return for many years to come. Even when children I once taught are grown I will remember that this humble place was once my home and will always remain very close to my heart.

My relationship with the organisation will not end here- I will persist in raising awareness for Society for Orphan Support and for many reasons will also be holding numerous fundraising events in aid of these children and this cause. For further contact and fundraising information, please e-mail me on charlie@kaiskids.org

The easiest decision was coming here and the hardest is choosing to leave. It has been long, it has been tiring, it has been exhilarating, but I wouldn’t have changed it for the world.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this is truly my once in a lifetime experience.

Charlotte Ferrar